Odd-Colored Water Repels Lake Hamilton Residents

LAKE HAMILTON | It's easy to take water for granted. But in Lake Hamilton, many residents count themselves lucky when their water is odorless, tasteless and sediment-free.

By GREG PARLIERNews Chief

LAKE HAMILTON | It's easy to take water for granted. But in Lake Hamilton, many residents count themselves lucky when their water is odorless, tasteless and sediment-free.Candice Cross said she has had problems with her water off and on since a pipe burst on Main Street in January, and that sometimes she gets "literally water like chicken stock" when she turns on the tap."Any color you can imagine has come out of my pipes," she said.The pipe was replaced, but the problems haven't stopped."I don't think anyone could be as patient as I've been. It's ridiculous," she said.Her neighbor, Jerry Armstrong, has seen his water get cleaner in the past couple of weeks, but it had gotten so bad that he filled a mason jar with his tea-colored, sediment-filled water and took it to town hall."You get to the point where you try not to drink your own water," he said.Both Cross and Armstrong live on or near Main Street in the main section of town.Council member Mike Kehoe has problems at his house as well, and said he suspects the aging water lines in town are to blame."It's bad enough I have to shower and brush my teeth with it. We use cases of drinking water for cooking and drinking," he said.Kehoe's theory that the distribution lines, not the new water plant that was installed in late 2012, are the main problems with the town's water is not unique.Mayor Marlene Wagner, Council member Larry Dale Tomlinson, who used to work in the town's water department, and Council chairman Ralph Harris all have said the water lines are at least partly to blame.The Polk County Health Department has made several trips to the town since June in response to resident complaints, and on several occasions has found the town's water to be low in chlorine, according to Health Department reports.The department has not found the water to have bad color in any of its tests, but the low chlorine has been a consistent issue. Additionally, the town has issued three boil-water notices between February and May, according to reports.Don Ehlenbeck, administrator of the water program with the Polk Health Department, said they have received more frequent complaint calls from Lake Hamilton than any other community its size. And the town has gotten far more calls about bad water than the department has, he said.Bacteria can get into water with low levels of chlorine, and that can lead to nausea, vomiting or an upset stomach for those who drink even a small amount, Ehlenbeck said.The health department requires a quick response when it finds water low in chlorine, and Ehlenbeck said the town has been responsive to those requests.

WATER PLANT STAFF ISSUESWater Plant Supervisor J.D. Johnson was suspended in August without pay by Wagner, but reinstated after appealing the decision to the Town Council.Wagner said Johnson wasn't completing a water sampling and flushing program as outlined by the engineering company Envisors, among other things.In June, the town adopted a strategic flushing and sampling program to take place at 10 different locations around town, which greatly improved water flow and reduced resident complaints, according to Town Planner Doug Leonard.The council concluded Johnson did not have enough training on the new plant, and Wagner said staff is working on getting him training.Shortly after Johnson was reinstated, fellow water plant staff member Walter Pagan went on medical leave.The town immediately hired Harvey Sims to help Johnson at the plant on a temporary basis, which Ehlenbeck commended, saying Sims has a lot of water plant experience.The health department found the plant to be running smoothly during its Aug. 20 inspection, Ehlenbeck said.In addition to Johnson and Sims, the town has two public works employees who help at the water plant when issues arise, Wagner said.Leonard said the town has enough personnel to run the plant and handle normal flushing procedures, but if the town takes on a more intensive flushing program, more people will be required."More personnel is going to have to be an absolute going forward," Leonard said.

WHY THE BAD WATER?Ehlenbeck said one possible reason for the water to decrease in quality after the new plant was installed has to do with its location. The move from the center of town, where the old plant was on the shores of Lake Gordon, to the north end of town may have stirred up some contaminants in the town's old pipes.Since the source of water is coming from a different direction, the flow of water changed, and with old pipes that change of direction isn't always good.Ehlenbeck said a lack of flow in the lines is the major reason for low chlorine and high sediment levels.Near dead-end lines, where water isn't regularly flowing, sediment can build up, and chlorine has a hard time reaching homes, he said. If people aren't using their water, the flow is even lower, compounding the problem, he said.

WHAT'S NEXT?Ehlenbeck said he has seen some improvement in the water quality, but there is still work to do.For one thing, the health department has recommended the town update its 20-year-old water line map. The map would show all water lines with the size and material of each pipe, as well as valve locations. All are important to have documented when trying to determine where problems are in a water system, he said.There are some new water lines in town, including in the subdivision Hamilton View, that haven't been documented on the map, not to mention the new water treatment plant.Leonard said the town has been working to update its old map since June 2012, but at the health department's recommendation he plans to draft a new map.Leonard said he will work with the Central Florida Regional Planning Council and Florida Rural Water Association, but anticipates it will take time to locate all the valves and review the pipes.Ehlenbeck also recommended the town implement a thorough flushing of lines throughout the system to get rid of some of the sediment lying at the bottom of pipes."I think that will help with sediment and chlorine levels," he said.The town's current flushing system is a quick fix to get chlorine levels back to acceptable levels, but it isn't systematically flushing out sediment from all over the system, he said.Ehlenbeck suggested they flush one section of town at a time, working their way out from the water plant.Overall, Ehlenbeck said he felt the town was moving in the right direction, and he sensed that town officials want to remedy the situation."We think this situation can be resolved and corrected," he said. "The townspeople should know that the staff is ready to move ahead and address their concerns."But, "we would like to see more progress being made," he added.

Greg Parlier can be reached at 863-401-6969 or greg.parlier@newschief.com.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.